1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to coin operated vending machines and more particularly to an improved coin handling apparatus for enabling such machines to vend merchandise having relatively high purchase prices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coin operated merchandise vending machines which have operated successfully for many years are having operational problems due to the inflated costs of the merchandise currently being vended by the machines. For example, it takes considerably more coins to purchase a package of cigarettes at the present price of over one dollar than it did to purchase the same package a few years ago at a price of fifty cents or less.
In the past, vending machines used what is referred to as a mechanical totalizer for counting the coins which are inserted into the machine for vending operations. The problem with mechanical totalizers is that they were limited to vend price amounts of less than one dollar. This problem was overcome by the advent of what is referred to as an electronic totalizer which can be easily set to various product vend prices for amounts up to six dollars or more.
While the coin totalizers and vend price reset capabilities of coin handling apparatuses used in vending machines have been improved by the electronic totalizer, the mechanical mechanisms which physically handle the coins have not kept pace.
A coin handling apparatus receives coins from a coin accepting mechanism which is designed to reject invalid coins, such as badly damaged coins, slugs, and the like, and to accept valid coins. The invalid coins are directed through the coin handling apparatus to the coin return tray of the vending machine. Valid coins are directed by the coin acceptance mechanism to a coin detector and totalizer of the coin handling apparatus which counts the coins and directs them into what is referred to as an escrow box, or area. When the totalizer senses that the inserted coins add up to the preset vend price, it operates a vend enable latch in the vending machine which allows the customer to select the desired product or have the money returned to him if he changes his mind. If the customer selects a product, a vend shaft of the vending machine, which extends into the coin handling apparatus, is rotated to open a normally closed vend gate of the escrow box so that the coins will fall through a coin chute provided in the coin handling apparatus into a coin box of the vending machine. On the other hand, if the customer changes his mind and wants his money returned, by operating the appropriate lever of the vending machine, a coin return lever on the coin handling apparatus is moved to open a normally closed coin return gate of the escrow box which allows the coins to fall through a coin return bin of the coin handling apparatus which directs the returning coin to the tray of the vending machine.
The physical, i.e., mechanical problems of the prior art coin handling apparatuses of the above described type are that the escrow boxes are too small to accomodate the large numbers of coins needed to reach the inflated vend prices and they operate too slow to reliably handle the multiplicity of coins.
With regard to the size of the prior art escrow boxes, the multiplicity of coins sometimes causes them to jam up in the escrow box. When this occurs, the customer can become upset if he decides not to purchase any of the vended merchandise and operates the coin return lever provided on the vending machine. Most of the time, however, the customer can get his money back by repeatedly operating the coin return lever. When the customer does make a product selection and some, or all of the coins remain in the escrow box due to jamming, that customer will receive his merchandise and the next customer could receive some or all of the jammed-up coins if he operates the coin return lever of the vending machine.
The coin jamming problem could be eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, by lengthening the vend and coin return gates and thereby increasing the coin capacity or size of the escrow box. This however would be difficult due to space limitations and it would increase the severity of another problem associated with the prior art coin handling apparatus. The other problem concerns the slow operation of the prior art escrow boxes and their inability to reliably and completely empty the escrow boxes after a customer makes his product selection.
The problem of slow operation of the escrow boxes results from the coin return gate and the vend gate being pivotably mounted on a common pivot post and cooperatively forming an upwardly opening V-shaped configuration of about 90.degree. in their normally closed positions. When the customer makes a product selection, the vend shaft of the vending machine pivotably moves the vend gate through approximately 90.degree. of rotation to a position where the open vend gate slopes angularly downwardly from the pivot post at an angle of about 45.degree.. The coins in the escrow box are supposed to slide down the angularly disposed open vend gate and fall into the coin chute. However, the opening and subsequent closing of the vend gate is accomplished in a relatively short period of time, due to the inherent operating characteristics of the vending machine, and this can result in some of the coins not even reaching the open vend gate before it starts to close, and those coins which are sliding down the open vend gate when it begins to close can be flipped back up into the escrow box.
As was the case in the hereinbefore described coin jamming problem, any coins left in the escrow box due to the slow operation and resulting incomplete emptying thereof, could be delivered to the next customer instead of being directed into the coin box of the vending machine. Therefore, if the vend gate were lengthened to eliminate or at least reduce the coin jamming problem, it would take longer for the coins to slide down the open vend gate and this would increase the severity of the escrow box emptying problem.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved coin handling apparatus which overcomes, or at least substantially reduces, the problems and shortcomings of the prior art. 1